Jolla Tablet Running Sailfish OS Skyrockets Past Funding Goal, Will Take On Army Of Android Slates

It's not as though the tablet market is starving for platforms, and while it's an uphill battle trying to take on established competitors like Android and iOS, Finnish smartphone startup Jolla will give it the ol' college try. Meet the "Jolla Tablet," a hardware device built around the company's open source Sailfish OS, which is one of several reasons why it's so intriguing.

Billed as the world's first crowdsourced tablet, Jolla surpassed its funding goal of $380,000 on Indiegogo within a mere two hours. The tally currently sits at over $580,000 after a single day with 21 days left to go, an indicator of immense interest in something new and fresh in the tablet sector. And while it might seem a bit crowded at the moment, remember that webOS would be a player today if not for some bad decisions by management.

That's a solid foundation, though Jolla's banking on its Sailfish OS being the real driver of sales. One huge advantage working in its favor is that Sailfish OS has the capability to run Android apps. Of course, it can run its own native apps as well, and between the two, a lack of software is one thing that shouldn't be a complaint.

One of the big things Jolla touts with Sailfish OS is its ability to multitask.

"Multitasking on Sailfish OS shows all your running apps conveniently in one single view. At a glance, you’ll see everything that’s going on, as well as easily switch between apps. You can also control Sailfish OS apps directly from the multitasking view – for example, change your music or play and pause your video stream without opening the app in full," Jolla explains.

As part of the Indiegogo campaign, Jolla has sold 1,000 tablets at $189 and another 1,000 at $199. Now it's looking to sell the next 2,000 at $204 (plus $20 shipping). You can check it out here.